Monday, February 29, 2016

Just a quick one to announce that today I've launched a Norwegian version of my blog called CC strikker (translation: CC Knits). I will update it in the days (and weeks?) to follow with Norwegian translations of my English patterns.Other news is that I'm working on making my patterns available as pdf's from Ravelry. ~ Cecilie

Sunday, February 28, 2016

(link to pattern in Norwegian/mønster på norsk)This
pattern is for a super quick and easy baby bonnet in garter stitch
that can literately be knitted up in less than 2 hours (at least for
the smaller sizes). Great pattern for using up some scrap yarn or if
in need of a very last minute present. Many possibilities for making
your own unique design, go nuts with stripes, different types of
ties, embroidery, crochet details, buttons, you name it!

My
prototypes are size 3 months and 6 months respectively. The gray one
I've decorated with chain stitch embroidery and a cute
button. I've also crocheted around the front edge and made ties by
crocheting 50 chains with yarn held double (probably the quickest and
easiest way to make ties). The blue/green bonnet is kept simple, I
really like the effect of the variegated yarn in garter
stitch. Ties are icords made with my Prym knitting mill. Icords can
easily be made without a knitting mill (it only takes a while
longer). Here is
a good icord tutorial.

Sizing:

Newborn
(3m, 6m, 12m, 2T)

Note
that garter stitch is very stretchy and tends to grow with the baby.

Cut
yarn and pull through remaining sts. Seam up the back of the bonnet
to approximately 2 cm past the start of the crown shaping. Attach ties or ribbons, approximately 25 cm long, at the corner of the front
edge. Weave in loose ends and block lightly.

Abbreviations:

CO
– cast on

k
– knit

k2tog
- knit 2 sts together, 1 st decreased.

kfb
- knit into the front of the stitch, then without dropping the stitch
off the needle, knit into the back of the stitch. 1 st increased.

RS
- right side, outside of bonnet.

st(s)
– stitch(es)

WS
- wrong side, inside of bonnet.

HAPPY
KNITTING!

If
you share your project on Instagram, do tag me @cechalden and
#2hourbabybonnet. I'd love to see your FOs! The pattern can also be found on Ravelry, please link to the pattern page if you have a Ravelry profile.~ Cecilie

Saturday, February 20, 2016

A
cute and quick to knit baby bonnet with a decorative butterfly (or
bug?) stitch pattern. The bonnet comes in two versions, one with ribbed
edge and stockinette crown and one with garter edge and garter
crown. Both pattern versions can be found below. I've also included two
versions of the butterfly pattern; 'big and small butterflies' and 'just
big butterflies'. The pattern is made to be mixed and matched as you wish, choose your preferred type of edge, butterflies and crown. Knit
it in one colour or use a contrast colour for the edge and/or crown.

Sample
#1 knitted with twisted rib, big and small butterflies and
stockinette crown.Ties made with Prym
knitting mill.

Cut
yarn and pull through remaining 9 sts. Seam up the back of
the bonnet to approximately 1 cm past the start of the crown
shaping. Attach ties or ribbons, approximately 20-25
cm long, at the corner of the front edge. Weave in loose ends
and block.

Bonnet
version 2 with garter edge and crown

CO
60 sts on the smaller needles. Knit 6 rows.

Change
to larger needles. If using a contrast colour for the edge,
change colour here. Increase 5 stitches evenly across the next row as
follows:

As
stockinette crown shaping given above, but even rows (2, 4, 6, 8 and
10) are knitted instead of purled.

Cut
yarn and pull through remaining 9 sts. Seam up the back of
the bonnet to approximately 1 cm past the start of the crown
shaping. Attach ties or ribbons, approximately 20-25
cm long, at the corner of the front edge. Weave in loose ends and
block.

Abbreviations:

bfst
- butterfly stitch, insert needle through the loose strands below
next stitch and purl them together with the next stitch. Link to
Youtube tutorial.

CO - cast on

k - knit

k1tbl
- knit 1 st through the back loop to create a twisted st.

kfb
- knit into the front of the stitch, then without dropping the stitch
off the needle, knit into the back of the stitch. 1 st increased.

p - purl

p1tbl
- purl 1 st through the back loop to create a twisted st.

RS:
right side (outside of the bonnet)

sl3wyif
- slip 3 sts purlwise with yarn in front

sl5wyif
- slip 5 sts purlwise with yarn in front

st(s) - stitch(es)

WS:
wrong side (inside of the bonnet)

HAPPY
KNITTING!

If you share your project on Instagram, do tag me @cechalden and #cuteasabugbabybonnet. I'd love to see your FOs!

Monday, February 15, 2016

A
wide headband with a nice texture pattern for some added interest.
Super quick knit if in need of a last minute gift or if you like me
found yourself on holiday and needed something to wear due to a
sudden change in weather (lucky I never travel without yarn). Great
for using up scraps, I used only 65 yards for my
adult prototype. Only basic knitting skills
needed, if you can cast on, bind of, knit and purl, then you can make
this.

Sizing:

The
pattern comes in two sizes, Child (Adult). If you wish to make a
smaller or larger size, the number of CO sts needs to be a multiple
of 4. The headbands are really super stretchy, these two sizes should
fit most women and children.

Materials:

Yarn
– approximately 60 (70) yards aran weight yarn.

Needles
– 4.5 mm (US 7) 40 cm (16in) circular needle.

Other
– 1 stitch marker and a darning needle.

Pattern:

CO
68 (80) sts. PM
and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the
stitches. Work k2, p2
ribbing around for 6 (8) rounds. If using a
contrast colour for the edge, change colour now.

Texture
pattern:

Round
1: knit all sts.

Round
2: purl all sts.

Round
3 and 4: * k1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat
the 4 rounds of the texture pattern 3 (4) times in total, then repeat
rounds 1 and 2 once more. If using a contrast colour for the edge,
change colour now. Knit one more round before starting the top rib
section.

Finish
off the headband by working k2, p2 ribbing around for 6 (8)
rounds. Bind off loosely in established pattern.
Weave in ends and block.

I
added some really cute crochet flowers and buttons to my child size
prototypes. This will greatly increase the likelihood of my girls
wanting to wear these.

Abbreviations:

CO
– cast on

k
– knit

p
– purl

PM
– place marker

st(s)
– stitch(es)

HAPPY
KNITTING!If you share your project on Instagram, do tag me @cechalden and #texturedheadband. I'd love to see your FOs!

Notes on yarn:

I made my adult prototype in aran weight yarn and my first child prototype, the pink one below, in DK weight yarn. The pattern works well for both yarn weights, but I suggest adding 4 sts if using a thinner yarn than aran.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

For quite some time I have wanted to publish some of my knitting patterns, so here comes the first one! I'd appreciate any feedback on how this pattern reads, any typos or lack of clarity and I would love to see your finished hats.

HOURGLASS WINTER HAT PATTERN

A
stylish warm winter hat with a decorative hourglass pattern created
by strategically placed slipped stitches. Simple cabling is involved.
Suitable as a first cable project.

Sizing: The pattern comes in two sizes, Youth/Women's Small (Woman's Medium). It
is close fitting and long enough to be pulled well down over the ears
for those cold windy days. If you wish to make a smaller or larger
size, the number of CO sts needs to be a multiple of 8.

Gauge: Due to the nature of the hourglass pattern, the gauge will vary from row to row. An average should be approximately 15 st per 10 cm after blocking. This will give a hat with a circumference of 53 (58) cm approximately.

Pattern:

Using
smaller needles, CO 80 (88) sts. PM and join to work in the round,
being careful not to twist the stitches.

Work
k1, p1 ribbing around until the work measures 4 (5) cm from the CO edge. Change to larger needles.

Hourglass
pattern:

The
hourglass pattern is worked
in a multiple of 8 sts and 20 rounds repeat. All
slipped stitches are slipped purlwise with yarn held to the back.

Repeat rounds 1 to 20
once more, then repeat round 1 once more. The hat should now measure
approximately 18 (19) cm from the cast on edge.Crown:Knit one round, purl one round, then start decreases. Switch to double pointed needles or magic loop when you have too few stitches to work comfortably on circular needles. Round
1:
* k6, k2tog; repeat from * to last st.Round
2:
purl all sts.

Round
3: * k5, k2tog; repeat from * to last st.

Round
4: purl all sts.

Round
5: * k4, k2tog; repeat from * to last st.

Round
6: purl all sts.

Round
7: * k3, k2tog; repeat from * to last st.

Round
8: purl all sts.

Round
9: * k2, k2tog; repeat from * to last st.

Round
10: purl all sts.

Round
11: * k1, k2tog; repeat from * to last st.

Round
12: purl all sts.

Round
11: * k2tog; repeat from * to last st.

Finishing:

Cut
yarn and pull the tail through the last sts left on the needles. Pull
firmly to close the top of the hat. Weave in ends and block.

I
added a pompom to my prototype since they seem to be all the rage at
the moment.

Abbreviations:

CO
– cast on

k
– knit

k2tog
– knit two together

LS
– left slip; Drop (knitted) slipped stitch off needle to front of
work, purl 1, pick up dropped stitch and knit it. Alternatively, use
a cable needle. Slip 1 knit st to cable needle held to the front of
the work. Purl one st, knit the st held on cable needle.

p
– purl

PM
– place marker

RS
– right slip; Slip 1 purl stitch with yarn in back, drop next
(knitted) slip stitch off needle to front of work, slip same purl
stitch back to the left-hand needle, pick up dropped stitch and knit
it, purl 1. Alternatively, use a cable needle. Slip 1 purl stitch to
cable needle held to the back of the work. Knit one st, purl the st
held on cable needle.

sl
– slip stitch purlwise with yarn held to the back

st(s)
– stitch(es)

HAPPY KNITTING!If you share your project on Instagram, do tag me @cechalden and #hourglasswinterhat. I'd love to see your FOs! Ravelry pattern page here.Courtesy of Ania of skaeri.pl, the pattern is now available in Polish! Thanks a lot, I'm flattered!

About Me

I've been living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for nearly 2 years. My greatest hobby is knitting and although it is really to hot to wear knits in MY, I still knit nearly every day. I have two blogs about knitting, one in English (CC Knits) and one in Norwegian (CC strikker), where I share knitting patterns I have designed myself.

I can also be found on Instagram as cechalden, please follow me if you like what you see.